[DanKennedy]

I have just bought my first bike, a J1 (2000) Green ZX6R. I love the bike and although i have only had it a week, feel far more confident with it. When i approach corners i sometimes feel i am going to quick and end up going round them like an old granny! Can anyone give me some advice as to how to best tackle tight corners on the ninja?

 

[Unreel]

If you get a chance...do some track days...that will teach you properly how to handle the bike. Other than that, slow down and keep at it...you'll get more comfortable the more you ride. With out much experience you can't just hop on and lay the bike over in corners that comes from saddle time.

 

[bladecutter]

Best thing to do is find a familiar series of curve or sweepers. Practice taking them at highway speed until you know which lane has the best banking, and clearest view of what lies ahead.

Slowly take the curves 2-5 mph faster each time, over the next couple weeks, until you feel comfortable going through them at 15 mph faster than the limit (if safe, some curves are meant to do the speed listed).

When you know what the fastest you want to come out of the corner is, approach the corner at highway speed, and accelerate through the curve until you are at your preferred exit speed.

When you can safely accelerate up to your target speed, start raising your max speed once again by 2-5 mph, until your new glass ceiling is reached. Repeat as needed until the cops drag you to jail 3 days in a row.

BC.

 

[Andy_7676]

take your time, don't be in a hurry or you will get yourself hurt...

trust me...

My Drinking Team Has a Racing Problem!

 

[dj dunzie]

Everybody so far has given good advice, I just wanna add a couple things...

1) If you think you are in trouble, sometimes the WORST thing you can do is get on the binders. Bikes mid-corner have a tendency to stand upright under braking... in fact, I'd say the number one rider-only mistake that gets made is people plowing straight on mid-corner into the roadside... You will learn to trust your bike more and more, and trust ME on this... the bike can turn a lot sharper and harder than you give it credit for.

2) When I'm riding HARD through twisty sections of road, I try to keep the bike revving (min 10,000rpm), so I like to set up for a corner, get yer butt off the outside of the seat and shift weight to the inside, and get set to take the corner before it comes by getting at the right speed and gear (2nd for slow to mid-speed, 3rd for faster corners) so that it's already revving at the range I want to EXIT the turns at. Track days will teach you this... it's faster to slow down prior to entering a corner and accelerate through it than to slow down DURING the corner or coasting through. Plus, the bike actually handles better turning under some power than coasting...

3) Keep riding. I'm amazed at how fast some guys learn. Track days are incredible learning tools (have ya heard that yet?), and even better are intro roadracing courses that most tracks offer during the year...

4) Don't panic.

Just my two cents for what it's worth.

 

[Marine]

I'd say that bit of information was worth more than just 2 cents...maybe... 10 cents? JK..

good info!

02 ZX6R (Yellow)

 

[dj dunzie]

LOL... keep the change...

Sorry, I'll try to keep my windbag posts to a min from now on... heh

 

[a007sniper]

Is there a website where you can find tracks in your state? And what do you need in order to ride on them? Do you have to take a class before getting on the track?

Drive it like you stole it

 

[GreenEnvy]

The rules from track to track vary a bit, but most don't require a training class beforehand.

Here in Ontario, for a trackday they split you into 3 groups, street, advanded street, and FAST

For my track day I had only been riding for like 5 months, so I enrolled in Street.
The only difference was some of the rules, ie) in street you are not allowed to pass in a corner.



-=Welcome To Canada=-
2002 Green 6R
1986 Gixxer 7/11

 

[DanKennedy]

Thanks for the tips. I will try to get down to a track day but i'm living in london and i don't have many tracks local (and the weather is crap at the moment).

 

[Rob Lee]

You are understandably not as comfortable taking corners as you would like. You have ridden your first bike, a late-model supersport machine, for only one week.

Be patient—learn how to competently pilot your bike on the street before taking to the track, especially in bad weather. In time, get a copy of A Twist of the Wrist 2 to improve your performance riding.

 

[Sled Dog]

dj hit it right on the nose. My first month riding I'm on Storro Drive and a right hand sweeper comes up. Now I've taken this corner 100s of times in my cage (i even know theres always a little dirt and gravel on the outside). So, half way into the turn I get closer, and closer to the wall, now I'm on the gravel (all because the bike was "standing up" as I broke in the corner). Luckily the sweeper ended and I didn't have to bail, but the next day I went to the bike shop a asked one of the guys what I did wrong and he gave me the same advice. Lean (the bike will lean alot further than you think it can), break early, don't break in the turn (while not entirely true but ya gotta be good to do it).

Ride safe

We be ridin' Ninja 600's never Harleys kid

 

[elric]

Hi Dan. I got a J1 (silver W-reg) recently, and it's my first sportsbike after a ZR-7 (don't laugh!).
The other guys are all perfectly right-just take your time on familiar roads.
With the crappy weather we've been having (I live in Colchester, Essex) I haven't been riding as hard as I'd like, but I've been taking winding routes and making sure I'm getting into the right gear and riding smoothly through the corners-then the speed comes easily.
I did my first track day (on the ZR-7)last June at Cadwell-it really does show you what your bike can do in a safe environment. I always find on the UK roads a f**kin' car crops up just as I'm getting a corner perfected! On a track, you're doing the same corner again and again and it's much easier to get it spot on-the only drawback is you can't use the same lines through corners on the roads!
Anyway, hello to everyone else - especially the lucky bastards living in California! I am so envious of you guys - I was there a few months back and a friend let me ride his R1 in the sunshine around Newport Beach......it could've only been better if it'd been a Ninja!

 

[ake leach]

resist the temptation to look at the speedo. all it will do is freak you out or dissappoint. work on being smooth!! or better yet, take your 6r to a riding school to learn about braking, corning, ect..

 

[GreenEnvy]

We tape over the speedo's at the track, only go by the tach...

-=Welcome To Canada=-
2002 Green 6R
1986 Gixxer 7/11

 

[DanKennedy]

Hi Elric. I wish i was somewhere hotter too, All you guys in America don't know how lucky you are, The roads in here in England are poor and it's very cold. I road my 6r through Central London last week in the rain, which wasn't the best time i've ever had on my bike to say the least!. Thanks to everyone for the tips, i am getting better (Slowly!), and much more confident through the twisties.

Dan.

 

[PHIL]

HI DAN.

I LIVE IN ROMSEY NR SOUTHAMPTON AND I HAVE JUST GOT MYSELF A 98 ZX6R. LIKE YOU SAY THE WEATHER HERE IS CRAP WHICH MAKES IT EVEN MORE FRUSTRATING WHEN YOUVE JUST GOT A NEW BIKE. MY ADVICE TO YOU ON CORNERS WOULD BE NOTHING AS I AM ONLY A RELATIVE BEGINER MYSELF. I JUST HOPE THIS YEAR WE MIGHT GET AT LEAST 3 MONTHS OF SUN, EH.

 

[dj dunzie]

quote:I JUST HOPE THIS YEAR WE MIGHT GET AT LEAST 3 MONTHS OF SUN, EH.

Man, I thought only Canadians said "eh", eh?

"Keep yer feet on the pegs and your right hand cranked."

 

[Joybringer]

Dan/Elric/Phil

Register at http://www.mcnninjas.co.uk (if you're not already) and check out Rideouts and Trackdays...they're starting at Cadwell, Snetterton etc. around MArch/April, and there's Ninjafest 2003 at Donny in August.

Phil - I'm near Pompey - if you fancy a ride, mail me!

jb


Bringer of all things Joyful

 

[iowazx6r]

Go to a nice smooth parking lot and turn around in circles slowly until your knee is on the ground. Look at the speedo and you'll see you're dragging your knee at 30 mph.

Dan...comfortable enough with his manhood to ride a 600.